Reading the Books to Save the Future
by hpggvm fan4ever
Summary: Five years has past when Harry and his friends cast a spell allowing people from 1981 and 1995 to gather together to read about his life.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I've read a lot of these and so I decided to try my hand at a Harry and co. read the books. I'm changing some things that happened after the war was over, so it won't follow the epilogue. Everything else is cannon.**

**I do not own Harry Potter, just have a 12 year love affair.**

* * *

It had been five years since the war ended. Harry Potter was hailed the savior, and all those that fought with him in the final battle were rewarded. Harry, along with his two best friends received an Order of Merlin, first class. Everyone else who fought in the final battle, received an Order of Merlin, second class; even the people who died during the battle.

The first year after the battle had been trying; Harry had immediately taken a position within the Auror department, Ron joining him, along with Neville and much too all their surprises, Draco Malfoy, who had been cleared of all charges when Harry testified at his and his mother's trial after the battle. Together, albeit reluctantly on Ron's part, they hunted down the remaining Death Eaters.

Hermione returned to Hogwarts with Ginny and Luna, and all three ended the year with top scores, and all three dating Auror's. Two weeks after finishing Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny were married. Neville and Luna as well as Ron and Hermione were engaged not long after the wedding.

Soon after Harry was married, Andromeda became ill and was no longer able to take care of her grandson, so Harry took his godson, and quickly filed for adoption, as well as the right to adopt Teddy Lupin by blood rights.

It was on the second anniversary of the final battle that Harry was promoted to Head Auror and was granted full access to the Department of Mysteries. It was a goal of his to find a way to change the future for different time lines and allow at least one Harry Potter to have a loving family. He had gotten the idea from Draco, who had become his second in command when Ron decided that he would take Fred's place in WWW and Neville took up the position of Herbology professor.

And so Harry's side project became finding a spell that pulled people from a certain time and allowed them to find out the future, then go back to that point in time and fix the future, but not change the current timeline that Harry himself was in.

After the birth of Harry's son, James Sirius, his research had come to almost a stop, until Hermione was promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and was also given clearance to the Department of Mysteries. And so five years after the final battle, Harry Potter had finally found a spell to gather people from three time periods and allow them to read books about his life.

* * *

In a room quite like the Room of Requirement (except it conjured food) a bright gold light appeared and out of it appeared ten people, all in hooded cloaks. The leader had gold runes stitched around the edges and gold and silver swirls throughout, while the rest of the adults had silver runes around the edges and silver swirls throughout.

"Looks like the right place Talon," Flare said.

"Sure does," Talon replied. "Let's hope everything else went according to plan."

"The humdingers say that it will work," Mystery said.

As soon as she finished speaking a blue light flared and eight people appeared. The six adults all had their wands drawn.

"We mean you no harm, if you wait for just a few more minutes we will explain everything," Talon said. As soon as he finished a green light flared and the last of the group appeared, all 14 had theirs wands at the ready.

"Stupefy," someone from the group yelled out.

"Protego Maxima," Talon said, guarding everyone and gaining everyone's attention in the process. "My name is Talon, my associates and I mean you no harm. This is Wisdom, Paws, Whiskers, Flare, Mystery, and Claw. And these two little ones are my sons." As each name was said the person nodded in response. "We have brought you here to stop a great tragedy from happening. The war was won but the price was high, and many live were lost. We ask that no one curse anyone here, as everyone here plays a major part in the war."

Sirius, who after having spent 12 years in prison was skeptical to say the least. "Why not tell us your real names then."

"We will," Claw said. "How about we go around the room and say our names, and a fact about yourself to prove that you are who you say you are."

"Let's start with the earliest time period here, those from 1981 if you please," Paws said indicating James to start.

"My name is James Potter, and my nickname is Prongs."

"I'm Lily Potter, and this is my son Harry, and today I sent a howler to Sirius for giving him a toy broomstick."

"I'm Frank Longbottom, and this is my son Neville, and we made Lily Potter our secret keeper."

"I'm Alice Longbottom, and I am James' second cousin."

"I'm Sirius Black, and I am going to do the blood kinship spell with Lily just in case."

"I'm Remus Lupin, and I have a furry problem."

The older Harry, Neville, Sirius and Remus were in shock. They were seeing their family. Knowing how hard this was going to be, Wisdom spoke up, "The group from 1995, if you will please introduce yourselves."

"I'm Gred" "I'm Forge" "And we" "are opening" "a joke store" "called Weasley Wizards Wheezes" they finished together.

"I'm Ron Weasley, and I'm good at chess."

"I'm Hermione Granger, and I do have a life outside of books."

"I'm Ginny Weasley, and I'm not a baby."

"I'm Harry Potter, and I hate being called the boy-who-lived."

"I'm Draco Malfoy, and I believe in family first."

"I'm Neville Longbottom, and I love Herbology."

"I'm Luna Lovegood, and I am in Ravenclaw for a reason."

"Sirius Black, I guess everyone should call me Padfoot, and I hate being locked inside."

"Remus Lupin, call me Moony, and I have an extreme dislike of toads." At this comment the future group snickered.

"I'm Tonks, and I don't care if someone is classified as dangerous."

"Severus Snape and this is pointless."

"Minerva McGonagall and I grow attached to my lions."

"I am Albus Dumbledore, and I like Raspberry Jam."

"Our turn then, we are from 2003, and my name is Draco Malfoy, otherwise known as Flare." As he spoke, he dropped his hood. And the rest did the same as they said their names.

"I'm Ron Weasley, or Paws."

"George Weasley, you can call me Mischief."

"Neville Longbottom, Claw."

"Luna Longbottom, Mystery"

"Hermione Weasley, Wisdom."

"Ginny Potter" the younger Ginny whooped "Whiskers"

"Harry Potter, Talon. And these are my sons, Teddy Remus Lupin-Potter, and James Sirius Potter," he said pointing to the 5 year old standing next to him and the baby in his arms.

"He was orphaned wasn't he?" Moony asked.

"Yes, his grandmother took care of him for a year before she fell ill. I blood adopted him soon after. And no he is not a werewolf; he just gets a little moody." Both Remus' let out a sigh.

"Who's his mother?" Padfoot asked.

Talon smirked and bent down to whisper in his son's ear. "Yes papa," Teddy replied smiling while his hair changed to bubblegum pink.

This caused both Remus' to blush and Tonks to let out a shout.

"Now as to how we are going to inform you of the future. We have 7 books here that are of my time at Hogwarts. We will not give anything away, and we ask that if you know what happens that you don't tell anyone," Talon explained.

"Is everyone ready?" Wisdom asked. When everyone nodded, she pulled out the first book. "This is called _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_." She set the book down on the table and pointed her wand at it and said, "We have a spell that will read for us, and it will pause whenever anyone make a comment. _Lego."_

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**_Please read and review and let me know if you want me to continue._**


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Sorry for the long wait, but i'm in the Navy and i haven't had much time to write recently. i don't know how long it will be until the next chapter is out, but i do intend to do the entire series.**

* * *

**The Boy Who Lived **

Both Harry's groaned and both Draco's snickered.

"Who's that?" Sirius asked.

"Probably Harry, Sirius," Remus said. "They are books about his life after all."

"Oh," Sirius replied.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

"They sound interesting," Frank said sarcastically.

"They're not," Lily said. Her sister was married to a man called Vernon Dursley and if she wasn't mistaken these people were her relatives.

"Don't think about them Flower," James said, putting a comforting arm around his wife.

"Who are they?" Alice asked.

"My sister and brother-in-law," Lily answered, looking down sadly.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

"She did that when we were younger too," Lily stated, her eyes looking quickly to Severus before looking back at her baby in her arms.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

"No finer boy my arse," Padfoot said.

"I don't care what year you are from Sirius Orion Black, if you curse in front of my son or grandchildren again I will hex you," Lily threatened.

"Yes Lily-Love," Padfoot said, with almost a smile. It had been so long since he had been threatened by her or had been able to call her Lily-Love that he didn't really care.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"There's nothing wrong with my Papa," Teddy said, annoyed that this man was saying mean things about his Papa.

"That's right cub," Moony said. "There is nothing wrong with the Potters."

"Well not normally anyway," Ron said.

"But we wouldn't," "Want to be stuck," "Looking like," "This specky git," "Forever," Fred and George said.

"Now where have I heard that before," Talon and Mischief said together, both feeling nostalgic.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

"That's not nice," Alice said, she didn't have any siblings but she always thought it would be nice.

"I'm okay with it now," Lily said sadly, leaning into her husband holding her son closer.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish**

"We wouldn't want them to be like you anyway," Sirius and Remus said.

"And unDursleyish isn't a word," Padfoot and Moony said.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"There is nothing wrong with my son," Lily said fiercely, and then she smiled at the three different versions of her son. "He's a wonderful young man."

Harry just blushed at that, happy that he was here with his parents.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, **

"He can tell which one's the most boring?" Harry said, sharing a confused look with Ron and Hermione.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. **

"That child needs taken over someone's knee," Alice said.

"That was the least of what he did that day," McGonagall said.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. **

"Why is there an owl…"

"Sirius, shut up," Lily said, immediately causing the boy to cease talking.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"Brat," both Sirius' said.

"**Little tyke,"**

"That thing is not little," Fred and George said.

**chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. **

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map. **

"Bet it's an Animagus," Frank said.

"I bet its McGonagall," Sirius said.

"And why do you assume that it's her?" Lily asked.

"Because she already said that screaming at your sister was the least of what Dudley did that day, so she obviously knew he was brat, and that means that the cat is probably her," Padfoot said.

Lily looked astonished. "What I can be smart when I want to be. I just happen to let my temper get the better of me making me look dumb," Padfoot said, looking sadly at baby Harry, knowing that because of his temper he had left his godson in the hands of these terrible muggle's. The older Harry's just smiled at him.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, **_**looking **_**at the sign; cats couldn't read maps **_**or **_**signs. **

"I think this man is going to go crazy," Frank said. "Not that that would be so bad."

"No, it would probably make him a right side nicer," Alice said.

"No it wouldn't," Talon whispered to his time group, "I've seen him going crazy, it's worse than normal."

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day. **

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. **

"What's so wrong with that?" James asked.

"Muggle's don't generally wear cloaks," Sirius answered, surprising everyone. "What? I took Muggle Studies."

"And you paid attention?" Remus asked, causing everyone to laugh, but the Professors.

"I'll have you know that I finished fourth in our year, right behind James!" Sirius said making them laugh harder, and Sirius to pout.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

"I wonder what happened?" Frank asked.

"I don't know, but it's something big," Lily commented, no one noticing the grimace's on the future's faces.

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. **

"Man, Muggle's would do anything not to notice us," Alice said smiling fondly.

"It does seem that way doesn't it Mrs. Longbottom," Dumbledore said, causing her to blush, and everyone else to jump, forgetting that Dumbledore and Minerva were there.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. **

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_**He **_**didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"That's not good," Remus interrupted. "They will notice that."

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"Merlin this man sounds horrible," Alice said. "I almost feel sorry for your sister."

"Don't," Snape said softly, but everyone heard him anyway.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. **

"_A_ bun?" Harry said sarcastically. "When has he ever had just one of something, well except for vegetables."

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. **

"Maybe he had a little sense then," Minerva muttered.

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. **

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —" **

" — **yes, their son, Harry —" **

"What Happened?" Lily said nervously, holding Harry to her tighter. James put his arm around her and pulled her closer. He knew that whatever had caused the Wizarding world to risk exposure like this was going to be both good news and bad news.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. **

"Yes he's dead," Sirius shouted.

"It's an expression Sirius," Remus said warily, he didn't like it when people (mainly Sirius) yelled in his ear.

"I knew that." And he really did (not that anyone else from his time believed him).

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. **

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone,**

"Man, what's got his knickers in a twist," James said.

**and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid.**

"There's nothing new there," Sirius commented.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_**was **_**called Harry. **

"He doesn't even know his nephew's name," Alice exclaimed. Harry was trying not to smile, he still wasn't sure if his uncle knew his name and Teddy just frowned, and everyone knew who his Papa was.

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"As if," James said. "Those are horrible names."

"No they're not," Lily said. "They're just not names I would have chosen."

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if **_**he'd **_**had a sister like that… **

"There is nothing wrong with Lily," James and Snape said angrily. Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. And the people from the future looked at Snape knowingly.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks… **

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. **

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! **

"What?" everyone from 1981 said.

"He's gone, he's finally gone," Alice said smiling.

"No wondered everyone has gone mental," Remus smiled until he notice the sad looks on both the future groups faces.

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" **

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"His arm fit," Fred and George said.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. **

"That's just sad," Mischief said.

"Yeah, but what would you expect from a guy like Dursley?" Paws said in return.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. **

"Ah good, McGonagall is still there," Sirius said.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. **

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

"That's not going to work," Sirius said in singsong voice.

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

"I know that look," everyone but Lily, Alice, Hermione, and Luna said.

Realizing that Teddy also knew the glare of a teacher Tonks asked "How do you know her glare Teddy?"

"Grandma Minnie had to watch me when Papa was still tracking Vlodyshorts minions, and I tripped over the table and fell on her tail," Teddy explained, while the Maurders where whispering "Grandma Minnie." And both of the Golden Trio's said, "Just like his mother."

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife. **

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: **

"_**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" **_

"That's my dad, he really had fun with the news reports that day," Tonks said, laughing at the memory.

"_**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." **_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"He is putting the pieces together," Frank said uncomfortably. "And if this idiot can do it, I hate to think what he other Muggles are thinking."

"Actually I don't think that many people would think of the Wizarding world with all of these occurrences," Paws said.

"Uncle Vernon already knows about magic and some of how things are done in the magic world because of Aunt Petunia," Talon continued.

"I think that most people would look towards religion and what they think would be the coming of the apocalypse," Wisdom finished.

"Have you always finished each other's thoughts that way or is that a new development?" Padfoot asked.

"It's only improved over the years, but they've always been able to do it," both Ginny's said, the older one sounding a little jealous. She knew that Harry and herself though had a bond that was even stronger than that of the trio; it had just taken them longer to realize it.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister. **

Lily sighed but made no comment. Even though she hadn't been close to her sister for years it still hurt that she had pushed Lily out of her life.

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?" **

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…" **

"_**So?**_**" snapped Mrs. Dursley. **

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… **_**her **_**crowd." **

Everyone just glared at the book.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" **

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. **

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?" **

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"I think it's a lovely name," Lily said. "It was also our favorite Grandfather's name. Does she hate me that much that she would dislike our grandfather because of my son's name?"

"It's not hate, its jealousy," Flare said. "Trust me, I know."

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." **

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. **

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it. **

"I don't see how anyone could want to be related to this idoit either," Frank said.

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_**were **_**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect **_**them**_**… **

**How very wrong he was. **

"I don't like the sound of that," Remus said.

"Why not, they deserved to be troubled?" Sirius said.

"But this has something to do with Harry," James said. "I don't want my son near these people." Moony and Padfoot looked at their feet after James said this, knowing that they left Harry alone with the Dursley's.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. **

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore. **

"Well dud," Sirius said unable to stop himself. "I'm sure everyone knew that one."

"There are some people, Mr. Black, who do not know who I am," Dumbledore said, once again startling people.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

Dumbledore chuckled, and said, "I knew."

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. **

"Cool, I want one!" Sirius said.

"Yeah, me too!" James added.

"You're both idiots," Remus said to his friends but it was a rather nifty invention. Paws just smiled, while playing with the Deluminator in his pocket.

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. **

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." **

"Yes!" Sirius cheered.

"We knew it was her," James said moodily, just wanting this story to move on from the Dursley's.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked. **

"Who else would it be?" Sirius scoffed.

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." **

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall. **

"No one asked you to be there," Sirius said.

"Sirius will you stop!" Remus said. "I would like to finish this book before next month."

"Thank you Mr. Lupin," McGonagall said, as she was annoyed at Sirius, yet happy to see the man vibrant again, unlike the Sirius from her time who only ever smiled when around his godson.

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." **

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. **

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." **

"They were being a bit careless," Lily said, receiving a glare by Remus. "Sorry Remus."

**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

"He doesn't," Talon said, "he still bows every time he sees me."

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." **

"Eleven years," Lily gasped and Remus, Frank and Alice looked pale.

"What…" James started to ask.

"That means it all happens in a couple months," Lily said softly, reaching for James' hand and kissing baby Harry's head.

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors." **

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_**has **_**gone, Dumbledore?" **

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. **

"Good," Frank said and everyone nodded.

"**We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

Both Harry's shook theirs head at this, Dumbledore and his sweets, while Dumbledore himself pulled a bag of lemon drops from his robe and offered them to everyone.

"**A **_**what**_**?" **

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of." **

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_**has **_**gone —" **

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**."**

Only Severus, Draco and Ron flinched.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name." "I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_**, was frightened of." **

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." **

"Only because he is too noble to use them," Lily and Hermione said.

"**Only because you're too — well —**_**noble **_**to use them." **

"Okay that was weird," Lily muttered.

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." **

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the **_**rumors **_**that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" **

"No, what?" Sirius said hopping up and down; he didn't like suspense.

"You don't want to know," Padfoot said, looking at his godson sadly again.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. **

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. **

"But we have the Fidilus charm on our house," Lily said.

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — **_**dead**_**." **

The past all looked at James and Lily, who were holding on to each other and their son, knowing that they wouldn't get to see him grow up.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

James looked over at Minerva, and trying to break the tension said, "I knew you loved me."

Minerva just gave a little glare, neither confirming nor denying anything. She had a real soft spot for all trouble makers but the Maurders had always known how to make her smile.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily. **

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. **

"What, no," Lily said desperately.

"Relax Mum," Harry said causing them both to blush. "I'm okay."

"Right," she said leaning back into James' arms.

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone." **

"Merlin…. You killed Voldemort," Sirius shouted. Everyone else looked impressed.

"Well, not really," Harry said. "But, well… you'll see."

"Hmph," Lily said. "I don't think I'm going to like this."

"What?" James asked.

"Harry not telling us what happens," Lily huffed.

Everyone chuckled at this, except Sirius who quite agreed with her.

Teddy tugged on his papa's arm and said, so only the future could hear, "But you did papa, you said that that was why I didn't have my real daddy and you were my papa."

"They won't find that out until later though Teddy," Talon said.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly. **

"**It's — it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"Yeah I'd like to know that too," Lily said what everyone was thinking. As only the future knew what had happened.

"**We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know." **

"Bet he knows," Sirius said. Harry smiled at his godfather, which just seem to annoy him. "Would you stop doing that, it's hard enough with the book; I don't need your knowing smug smiles."

"Sorry, Sirius, I'll try," Harry smiled. Padfoot laughed at his past self's annoyance at his godson.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" **

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?" **

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now." **

"What?" the past yelled.

"No way in hell is my son staying there," Lily said.

"Lily-Love, don't swear," Sirius said and then immediately wish he hadn't, the glare from the fiery witch was deadly.

"I don't want my son anywhere near that man," Lily shouted. "And I doubt Petunia will be much better."

"Don't worry Lils," James said putting his arms around her. "Somehow it's going to be alright. I mean look at Harry, he seems to be an alright bloke."

"I guess," Lily said sadly. She wondered how bad her baby's home life was going to be.

"**You don't mean – you **_**can't **_**mean the people who live **_**here**_**?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!" **

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

"A letter? You think you can explain this in a letter!" Lily and both Hermione's exclaimed.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

"It seems that you think a lot like McGonagall," Sirius said trying to make her smile.

"I suppose there could be worst people to be like," Frank said. "At least she is smart."

Lily smiled at him; it did make her feel a little better.

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!" **

"Stupid, I lose my parents and everyone worships me or thinks I'm evil," Harry said.

"We know Harry," Ron, Hermione and Ginny said together.

"**Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" **

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it. **

"**Hagrid's bringing him." **

"**You think it —**_**wise **_**— to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," James and both set trio's said.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. **

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?" **

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. **

"Violet," Sirius and Padfoot yelled.

"I wonder what happened to her," Padfoot said.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_**wild **_**— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Why was he holding blankets?" Sirius asked.

"It's Harry you idiot!" James said, hitting the back of his friends head.

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" **

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"**No problems, were there?" **

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

"Aw," Lily and Alice cooed, Harry turned red.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"My poor baby," Lily said, kissing her son's head, before handing Harry to James and going to kiss both Harry's heads where the scar was.

"Cool scar!" Sirius said noticing it for the first time the scar on the young man's head.

"No it's not," both Harry's said

"**Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall. **

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever." **

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" **

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with." **

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. **

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog. **

"I take offense to that," Sirius said earning himself an elbow to the guts by James.

"Ya Sirius, be quite," Padfoot said, laughing.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!" **

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —" **

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"You left him on a doorstep!" Lily yelled.

"I put a protection spell on him before I left, Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. **

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations." **

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir." **

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night. **

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. **

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. **

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. **

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"You're not going to explain why your aren't with Sirius or myself are you," Remus said.

"No, sorry," Talon said.

"The third book will explain some of it," Wisdom said.

"But even we don't know the full reason why Moony was never there," Whiskers said, glaring at Moony, knowing that her husband had always wanted to know why he never knew of Remus, but was never able to find out.

Moony just bowed his head, dreading having to explain his actions.

* * *

**Comments are always appreciated. **

**Also I have a challenge on my profile if anyone would like a writing project.**


	3. The Vanishing Glass part 1

**This is only part of the chapter but it has taken me so long to get this that i wanted to post what i have done. I'll try and finish soon but real life is difficult being in the military and being a mother to a 14 month old daughter.**

* * *

**THE VANISHING GLASS.  
**

"So we get to hear about some more of your accidental magic," James said, looking down at his son in Lily's arms.

"More?" Harry and Talon asked.

"You've been performing magic since you were inside the womb," Lily commented. "There was one time Sirius was talking to you through my stomach and I guess he said something you didn't like and you turned his hair green and silver and changed his clothes to Slytherin robes."

"But I'm not that powerful. I am always one of the last to perform a spell right," Harry said.

"That's due to interference," Whiskers growled, glancing at the contrite looking Headmaster.

"Also I haven't made it any easier on you either," Wisdom said, looking between her younger self who looked down in shame and Harry.

"I'm so sorry Harry, I know that I've made you feel bad about being better than me in DADA. I don't mean to but it is just so hard being a muggle born to get anywhere in the Wizarding world, so I thought that I have to be the best at everything that I do. You can try your best and I will try not to get too upset." Hermione said sheepishly.

"And you, Headmaster, will do what…" Talon snapped after several seconds when it appeared that Dumbledore wasn't going to say anything.

Dumbledore just looked down at his wand before waving it and saying, "Aufero Obstructionum."

A bright golden light engulfed Harry and when it disappeared, Harry stood there standing with the confidence that his older self possessed. "Try casting your Patronus now," Talon said.

Harry nodded and said, "Expecto Patronum." Not realizing that his wand was still sitting on the couch next to Ginny, a stag and a griffin appeared in front of him and bowed.

"Harry," Ginny whispered, getting his attention. When he turned to face her, he was shocked, as was everyone but the future, to see that Ginny was holding his wand out to him.

"Let's continue shall we," Talon said, drawing everyone's attention back to the book.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.  
**

"Lord they are boring, never changing anything other than pictures," Padfoot said.

"I thought it was established already that they were boring," Moony chuckled.

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother.**

The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.

"Why?" Lily asked menacingly. "Petunia, I swear if my son has been neglected…" she trailed off.

No one wanted to cross her at the moment, and both Harry's squirmed uncomfortably knowing that Lily was going to be very upset at her sister within just a few moments. Talon also knew that he had inherited his mothers temper and was fully prepared to cast a silencing spell around the babies so as not to deafen them.

Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

"She used to wake me up that way when I was home during the summer," Lily said.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.

"You remember things like that?" Moony asked.

"Sometimes I would remember that, others I would remember faces. I thought that they were family. After a while though they faded, and just became dreams," Harry answered, not really looking at anyone.

His aunt was back outside the door.

"Are you up yet." she demanded.

"Nearly," said Harry.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Harry groaned.

"You cooked at 10?" Alice said, stunned.

"I actually started cooking at 5, I'm not that bad at it either," Harry said, somewhat sad yet also semi proud of himself.

"He has to be, Gin can't cook anything to save her life," Paws said, while the younger Ron and the rest of the Weasley's in the room just nodded in agreement.

Both Ginny's just pulled out their wands, just holding it on her leg, and all those who knew of her bat-boggy hex looked on fearfully.

"What did you say." his aunt snapped through the door.

"He didn't say anything you miserable hag," Draco commented, before remembering that he was in a room with a bunch of Gryffindor's that didn't particularly like him. He blushed, while looking at his godfather and his future self, who just smirked and nodded his head knowingly.

**"Nothing, nothing..." Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten. Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them,**

Both Ron's shuddered, while Lily looked murderous and Padfoot asked, "Why would there be a spider on you sock?"

Harry and Talon just looked sadly at him and nodded to the book, not answering him.

**put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

The room exploded, before Talon had a chance to put the silencing charm up and the noise ended up waking all the kids.

"But you," George

"Had a room," Fred

"When we" George

"Came and got you" Fred

"Before second year" they finished together

"It'll explain later," Harry said.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"Let me guess," Lily started.

"That someone is you," James finished.

"But your magic healed you which is why your nose is still straight am I right," Sirius asked. Harry nodded.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes.

"You really are the perfect mix of both your parents. It's just that people can't see past the Potter hair to see how much of your mom you have in you." Padfoot said.

"It's the same way for me. The hair really is a curse, I look exactly like my mother except for my hair which comes from dads side and that's all people see. When I realized that, that's what I wanted people to focus on. If people only see what they want, play it," James explained.

"That's why you were always messing up your hair in school?" Talon asked. James nodded but looked confused along with everyone else. "It's mentioned in the fifth book."

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"You liked the stupid thing?" Draco asked.

"I never knew what it meant," Harry said. "All I knew was that it was mine and the Dursley's couldn't take it away from me."

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.

Shouts of outrage once again filled the room. Talon waited until everyone stopped yelling before continuing.

**"And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"That explains so much," Minerva muttered.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.

"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.

"It doesn't work," Lily and Whiskers said.

About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.

Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.

"So like a pig in a wig," Lily said. While Harry and Talon snickered.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"And there is Lily's cheek," Snape mumbled.

Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents.

His face fell.

"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."

"Bloody hell, even I don't get that many presents," Draco said.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy." "All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.

Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin. Two more presents. Is that all right''

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

"This kid is now 11 and can't add 37 and two. How the bloody hell did he get through school?" Sirius asked.

"Until I went to Hogwarts, I did his work for him. After I left Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon paid his way until fifth year. Things changed right before fifth year that really shaped Dudley up," Talon explained.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.

At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.

"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.

"Isn't she in the Order?" James asked.

Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.

"But why would she do that? Why is everyone lying to you? Where the hell are you two?" James asked rounding on his two best friends.

"Now what." said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.

"Isn't that the one," Ron said. Harry nodded, while Fred, George and Mischief cackled loudly.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne." "On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).

Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.

"And come back and find the house in ruins." she snarled.

"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.

"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "...

and leave him in the car..."

"He's not a dog," Padfoot said.

"No but you are," Harry said, "I'm apparently a griffin."

Everyone laughed at the dumbfounded look on Padfoot's face.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..." Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.

Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.

"I hate rat's," Ron and Paws said.

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.

"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." "I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..

But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.

The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.

"Yay! Your magic," Lily said excitedly.

Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.

Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.

"There's those Black genes coming through. I thought you might be a metamorphigous. Your hair was shorter the morning after we got to headquarters than when we picked you up," Tonks said.

"It was mostly blocked," Talon explained. "The only thing it doesn't change is my scar. I can't cover it up with anything other than muggle makeup."

While Talon was talking Harry was concentrating and changed his hair to the same color red as Lily's and when people looked at him again they realized that what James said earlier was true. They all saw what they wanted to, especially in Snape's case, with the red hair, the only feature that defined Harry as James Potter's son was that his hair was still a messy mop like normal, otherwise he looked exactly like his mother.


End file.
